Why does it feel like Your timing is always a little off, God?
After completing my engineering course in 2015, I was eager to pursue my master’s degree in Europe and embark on a new chapter of my life without looking back. I applied to various programs with determination, and while I managed to secure seats in a couple of courses, it felt like something always thwarted my plans. I found myself facing a career crisis, which eventually led to a period of depression. For a whole year, I struggled with the question of why God was making me wait so long. However, that crisis year turned out to be a time when I discovered and developed skills and talents I never knew I possessed.
Then, just last year, I received the opportunity to pursue my master’s degree in Rome, and this coincided with my first year of marriage. I couldn’t help but question God’s timing, wondering why this opportunity hadn’t come sooner and why it had to happen now.
Standing at the iconic Trevi Fountain in Rome, memories of a dream I had back in 2015, after my graduation, resurfaced. It was a dream of traveling across Europe and exploring different countries. I couldn’t help but ask, “Why didn’t this dream come true earlier, God? Why is it happening now? Why does it feel like Your timing is always a little off?”
Then, just last month, I accepted a new role in a company. A week into my new job and booking our new apartment, I received a message from a company I had applied to six months prior, considering me for an opportunity. In that moment, I couldn’t help but exclaim, “Really, God?!”
It seems that throughout my journey, I’ve grappled with questions about God’s timing, as life has unfolded in unexpected and sometimes seemingly untimely ways.
God’s timing does not align with our human perception of time. While there may be rare instances where God’s timing appears faster than our own, more often than not, it seems slower—oftentimes, much slower.
| This pattern of patient waiting can be observed consistently throughout Scripture: Abraham: At the age of 75, God promised Abraham that he would have a descendant through whom nations would arise. However, it took 25 long years before Isaac was born, when Abraham was 100 years old! Joseph: God had assured Joseph that he would rule over his brothers, yet it took 15 to 20 years before this promise became a reality. Hebrews: The Hebrew people endured 400 years of slavery in Egypt after Joseph’s time, with many wondering why God didn’t intervene earlier. One might ask, wouldn’t 300 years have been enough? David: Samuel anointed David as king over Israel, but instead of an immediate coronation, David spent the next seven years of his life evading Saul, the reigning king, who saw him as a threat to his throne. It was 14 years before David finally became the king of all Israel. Lazarus: When Lazarus fell seriously ill, his sisters sent for Jesus. Instead of rushing to his side, Jesus deliberately delayed his arrival, and by the time he reached Lazarus, four days had passed since his death. |
There are moments when God’s apparent “slowness” can range from being an inconvenience or frustration to feeling like a life-altering event. Sometimes, it even seems as though He missed the proverbial boat.
Abraham, for instance, pointed out to God that both he and his wife, Sarah, were well beyond childbearing age. It appeared as if God had missed that opportunity. But He hadn’t.
In an even more challenging situation, Lazarus was already dead when his sisters sent for Jesus. It must have seemed that Jesus had missed the boat entirely. But He hadn’t.
The truth is, God doesn’t miss boats. He keeps track of sparrows when they fall, and He knows the number of hairs on our heads. He is always fully aware of the timing of events.
As 1 Peter 3:8 reminds us, “With the Lord, one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promises…” It may seem slow from our perspective, but in reality, God has His perfect plan, and His promises never fail. His timing is always purposeful and impeccable.
The conductor of a grand symphony
Consider God’s timing like a master conductor leading a grand orchestra. Each instrument in the orchestra represents a different aspect of our lives and the events we anticipate. From our perspective in the audience, it may seem that the conductor is moving too slowly or missing cues. Sometimes, the music might even appear out of sync, and we wonder if the conductor is late.
But the conductor, representing God, sees the whole score, the intricate details of each instrument’s part, and the perfect timing for each note. The conductor knows when to bring in the strings, when the brass should sound, and when the percussion should make its dramatic entrance. It all comes together in a magnificent symphony, even though it might not make sense to us as individual spectators.
God’s timing is like the conductor’s timing—precise, purposeful, and orchestrating the events of our lives to create a beautiful and harmonious masterpiece, even when we perceive delays or missed opportunities from our limited vantage point in the audience.
Here’s what the Scripture says about God’s timing:
1.Bringing Glory to God
In the case of Lazarus, Jesus explained that his death and subsequent resurrection brought greater glory to God.
John 11:40 says- Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
Many came to Christ as a result of this miraculous event.
John 12:10-11- So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.
2. Strengthening Our Faith
God tested Abraham’s faith by delaying the birth of Isaac. Scripture emphasizes that Abraham’s belief in God was credited to him as righteousness
Romans 4:3 –What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Faith is central to our relationship with God, and without it, it is impossible to please Him.
3. Maturing Our Character
James 1:2-4 says, Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
This passage teaches us that trials, including God’s apparent “slowness,” can serve as tests that make us “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” when faced with faith.
4. Increasing Our Ability to Minister to Others
As seen in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4,
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God
-our experiences during times of trial enable us to comfort and assist others with the same help that God provides to us.
5. Augmenting Our Eternal Reward
Romans 8:18 says,
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
This verse reminds us that the sufferings we endure in this present time are incomparable to the glory that will be revealed to us in eternity.
6. Enhancing Our Eternal Position
According to Luke 19:11-19, the passage on the parable of talents, our faithfulness in small matters on Earth can lead to greater responsibilities and rewards in heaven. Furthermore, 1 Corinthians 6:2-3 says,
Or do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!
This means a whole lot of conditioning before we get to this eternal position. Like the aphorism goes, “rough seas make good sailors.”
Instead of succumbing to discouragement, frustration, disappointment, or resentment due to God’s perceived slowness, we can choose gratitude for the rewards that accompany acceptance of God’s timing. As missionary Jim Elliot wisely expressed, we can relinquish that which we cannot retain in order to gain that which we cannot lose.